By Gus Saltonstall
A recently opened Upper West Side restaurant was one of eight New York City eateries to receive its first, extremely coveted, Michelin star on Tuesday night.
Essential by Christophe, a French spot located within a townhouse at 103 West 77th Street, just off the corner of Columbus Avenue, can now officially call itself a Michelin-starred restaurant.
“Supple leather, brass touches and various shades of beige comprise the contemporary, elegant space, where a buzzy bar and a welcoming dining room await,” the Michelin Guide wrote about the Upper West Side eatery. “Chef Christophe Bellanca’s dishes echo a simple elegance, evidenced by plump white asparagus on a fragrant bergamot-flavored crème with a refreshing herb vinaigrette and paper-thin slices of watermelon radish.”
Essential by Christophe opened at the address in December of 2022 and operates with a core philosophy of “informed simplicity, stripped of all unnecessary flourishes to showcase only what is essential,” according to its website.
The restaurant is led by chef Christophe Bellanca, who grew up in Ardeche, France, and formerly worked as the head chef at celebrated New York City eateries such as Le Cirque and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. It is not the first Michelin star he has helped secure.
Dishes on the menu include lobster with endive, chestnut and malabar pepper sauce, duck with celery vanilla and poached quince, scallops lightly cooked with sunchokes and fennel-shoyu sauce, and rabbit with grain mustard, peal onions and girolles.
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There might be magic in the 103 West 77th Street address itself. Prior to Essential by Christophe opening at the end of 2022, the address was a longtime home to the popular upscale restaurant Dovetail, which also earned a Michelin star.
Essential by Christophe has found quick success, as it had already been added to the New York Michelin Guide this May, before now getting its first star.
You can find out more about Essential by Christophe on its website — HERE.
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Excellent news for the neighborhood and of course for the restaurant. Congrats!!!
Looks like a beautiful setting for an outstanding dining experience . A warm welcome is extended to Essential by Christophe!
Reminds me of Telepan.
Dined at Christophe recently with another couple. We loved everything on the tasting menu and the paired wines. The staff was friendly and well informed, providing nice information about the dishes and wines.
A big notch above Dovetail – as warm and welcoming as Dovetail was cold and impersonal.
“Essential” struck me as a rather impersonal and corporate name for an upscale restaurant until I realized it might be a sly play on the German word “essen” – eating. Oh well, it’s a theory. 🙂
Kind of sounds like a hair salon from the 80s, to be honest. Nonetheless, congratulations to the restaurant! Michelin stars take work.
Essential is better than the 2 star restaurant I ate in France 2 weeks ago.
Ever since watching that awful movie The Menu have absolutely no interest in these types of restuarants. Such small portions and too snobby for my taste.
McDonald’s is still around on 71st & Amsterdam/B’way. Super Size it!
Essential is a warm and inviting restaurant staffed by a wonderful team performing at the pinnacle of their craft. Why pass harsh judgment against them without meeting the team or experiencing their fine work firsthand? You, Madam, are the snobby one.
M.J., love your positivity and passion in defense of great cuisine, especially on the UWS.
These two comments – from M.J. and John E. persuaded me to subscribe to the WSR! Thinking I found my people!
We protect our own in this neighborhood 😤
This is great news I’m so tired of taking an Uber to the east side etc to get a quality dining experience. We need far more of this on the UWS.
For those looking for other high quality dining options on the Upper West Side, I gave the newly opened Clara in the New York Hiistorical Society a try this week and was very impressed.